Red Chile Cheese Enchiladas

This is a simple enchilada recipe I found a few years ago on EatingWell.com.  The most work comes from making the sauce, but after Sameer tried it, he never wanted store-bought enchilada sauce again (I sort of regret that -- store-bought sauce might not taste as good, but it costs about a dollar rather than half an hour of your life).  The recipe below reflects my changes based on personal taste and what I can easily find at the store.  I always serve it with chopped raw yellow Spanish onion and chopped romaine lettuce on top.

Ingredients

Red Chile Sauce

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup minced white or yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 
• 1 tsp tomato paste or 1 tbs tomato sauce (I've even used marinara or pizza sauce in a pinch -- works fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Enchiladas

• 1 15-ounce can vegetarian refried beans
• 2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt (Sour cream tastes slightly better but isn't as healthy.)
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, (8 ounces), divided
• 1/4 cup minced white or yellow onion, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, for sprinkling on top

Directions

1. To prepare sauce: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and continue cooking until the onion is translucent and soft, about 2 minutes more. Stir in chili powder. Add broth, water, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickened and reduced by about one-third, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.  You can do this step in advance and keep the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
2. To prepare enchiladas: Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch (or similar-size 2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Combine beans and yogurt in a small bowl.
4. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce in the baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas in the dish, overlapping them to cover the bottom. Top with half the bean mixture, using the back of a spoon to spread it thin. Scatter 2/3 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons onion on top of the beans. Top with one-third of the remaining sauce, 4 tortillas, the remaining bean mixture, 2/3 cup cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons onion. Spread half of the remaining sauce on top and cover with the remaining 4 tortillas. Top with the remaining sauce and the remaining 2/3 cup cheese.
5. Bake the enchiladas until hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional minced onion and lettuce, if desired.